iPad Tipping at This New Hampshire Restaurant Got Awkward, but What Am I Supposed to Do?

The other day, my husband went into a local restaurant that we rarely go to, but we were in Portsmouth and decided to stop in because we love their food.  We paid for the order and the person behind the counter flipped the apple payment pad my way to give me a choice of tip, which always makes me feel a bit uneasy no matter what.  Do I give 15%, 20, 25, or custom tip?  I ended up giving him 20% even though there was no table service and we hadn't gotten our food yet.  I figure the kitchen needs tips too, right?

After we chose our table, which wasn't clean, but hey, I get staffing issues and cleaned it myself.  I'm okay with that, truly.  They are busy making my food, I can clean the table.  I do that often because I understand staffing issues.

The thing that got me was, after we ordered, we decided to get a couple of fancy drinks that we had never had in the cooler.  When I walked up to the counter again to pay for them, the same person swiped my card, but no flipping of the iPad.  No tip required.  Of course, I didn't ask why I didn't get the option because the whole tip situation has made me anxious since the pandemic and why would I want to potentially open up my wallet again?

Does that mean that servers have a choice to flip or not to flip?  Are we supposed to tip when we just walk up to the counter and order?  It didn't used to be that way, and I know times have changed, so I'm looking for guidance here.

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Don't get me wrong.  I am all about tipping, but lately a lot of us are sick of tipping for every little thing.  A friend of mine who lives in California said they other day that she bought some skin care products at her dermatologist office and even they gave her the option of tipping at the counter.  She declined, but now is embarrassed about going back.

What do you think?  Do servers and counter staff have the choice to ask for a tip or not?